The Whole Grain and Nothing But the Whole Grain (Part 2)

After reading last week’s blog entry about whole grains, how many of you were curious enough to check your loaf of bread or box of cereal?

Realizing how certain terms are used on product labels may have been an eye-opener. Seeing the phrase “made with whole grain” on a label, for example, does not necessarily mean that the product contains 100% whole grains. Who would have thought?

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In spite of the potentially confusing label terms, it’s worth making an effort to choose whole-grain foods whenever you can. Why? Well, because they’re good for you. Here are the health benefits of whole grains:

Preventing diabetes. You may already have diabetes, but you can spread the word to family and friends. In a study of 160,000 women, those who ate 2–3 servings of whole grains every day were 30% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who ate whole grains infrequently. The same trend holds true for men: Of 43,000 male health professionals, those who ate the most whole-grain foods were 42% less likely to develop diabetes.

Preventing heart disease. Studies show that people who eat the most whole grains have lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad”) cholesterol, lower triglycerides (a type of blood fat), and lower insulin levels than those eating refined grains. And folks who eat 2–3 servings of whole-grain foods every day have a lower risk of having a heart attack or dying from heart disease.

Preventing cancer. A study of nearly 500,000 men and women has shown that those who eat whole grains are less likely to have colorectal cancer than those who don’t.

Preventing digestive system problems. Whole-grain foods can help prevent constipation and diverticulosis, a condition in which the large intestine develops pouches that bulge outward.

Preventing obesity. Eating whole grains has been linked with a lower body-mass index, a lower body fat percentage, a lower waist circumference, and less weight gain compared to not eating whole grains.

Keeping you in overall good health. Whole grains are great sources of many important nutrients that keep you healthy and fight disease, including B vitamins, fiber, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, copper, and phytonutrients.

This all sounds good, you may be thinking, but what the heck do you do with spelt? In other words, how do you fit whole grains into your everyday eating? Try the following tips:

Start the day off with a bowl of hot old-fashioned or steel-cut oats. Sure, they may take a little longer to cook, but they’ll nourish you far more than those little packets of the sugary, flavored instant stuff.

For a change, try a different grain along with your chicken. Barley, wild rice, quinoa, and amaranth are tasty and can help keep boredom at bay.

Use oats or crushed-up bran flakes in place of bread crumbs.

Eat pizza made with a whole wheat crust.

Substitute half the white flour in recipes with whole wheat flour.

Snack on air-popped or light-style popcorn.

The goal is to aim for at least three servings of whole grains each day. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a serving is a slice of bread, one ounce of cold cereal, or a half cup of cooked pasta, rice, or hot cereal.

For more information on whole grains, including more tips and recipes, check out the Web site of the Whole Grains Council.

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Jeff Deasy

The really good news is that whole grain foods can be delicious. Try oatmeal with fresh fruit, cinnamon, and a teaspoon of honey. Fresh-baked, whole grain semolina bread is a wonderful accompaniment to a favorite salad. Mushroom & barley soup is a tasty way to get some whole grains without any animal fat. Whole grain pasta with a tomato sauce seasoned (garlic, oregano, basil, etc.) to your taste and served with steamed broccoli, spinach, or green beans is a terrific meal. Squeeze a little fresh lemon and grind some black pepper on those veggies.

A lot of people are delighted to learn that popcorn is a whole grain!

Michael.Massing

As a person who likes a more “al dente” rather than “creamier” oatmeal, I’ve discovered an alternate method of preparing rolled/old-fashioned oats that is quicker and easier than the standard directions. The general rule for a grainier oatmeal is to add the oats to hot water rather than cold. In an extension of this method, I put the oats in the bowl I’ll use to eat them, cover them with boiling water from a kettle (about half again as much as oats), cover the bowl with a plate, and let steep for the three to five minutes it takes to make coffee or do whatever other puttering goes with having breakfast. Voilà: “instant” old-fashioned oats. Please note that this method does not work with steel-cut (“Irish”) oatmeal, which requires longer cooking and watching unless you use a quick/instant version.

acampbell

Thanks for the great tip, Michael. Now there’s REALLY no excuse for not taking 3–5 minutes to fix a healthy breakfast in the morning!

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